Moving to Fairbanks Need Help
#11
10-28-2019, 03:37 PM
You'll want to do an oil pan heater. Buy one that sticks on and put it on the side. It'll keep the oil warm. For oil I'd do a 5w30, maybe 5w40 if you hear lifter tick/knock. The block heater overrides any recommendations RAVE has.
50/50 is NOT good enough. Minimum is 30F. You'll want 30% water 70% antifreeze, use Zerex G48 or BMW blue. I had 50/50 freeze here in upper IL last winter, it hit -34F. You don't want to risk cracking a block.
I'd also say a 195/198 thermostat (standard OEM thermostat) would be very much needed.
50/50 is NOT good enough. Minimum is 30F. You'll want 30% water 70% antifreeze, use Zerex G48 or BMW blue. I had 50/50 freeze here in upper IL last winter, it hit -34F. You don't want to risk cracking a block.
I'd also say a 195/198 thermostat (standard OEM thermostat) would be very much needed.
#13
10-28-2019, 09:45 PM
#14
10-28-2019, 09:51 PM
Super Moderator
#15
10-28-2019, 10:01 PM
#16
10-28-2019, 11:04 PM
Camel Trophy
The following users liked this post:
The Deputy (10-29-2019)
#17
10-29-2019, 02:09 AM
#18
10-29-2019, 03:33 AM
Camel Trophy
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Richard Gallant (10-29-2019)
#19
10-29-2019, 10:26 AM
Rock Crawling
I was born in Anchorage, I have family in Fairbanks so I know well what -45*F zero is like as well as summer there at 100*F. Fairbanks Alaska has the largest temp swing of anywhere on earth and the largest mosquito population, which is the state bird.... lol.
-That said. I would install a kat's heater which is very easy to install and works better than a block heater for most purposes. -You might want more than the 850w version I showed in the link, a 1500w version might be better suited if you wish to enjoy a defrosted window when you get in the car and instant heat.
-Block heaters don't do a good job of heating the coolant system which is really want you'll want, instead they just maintain the oil temp and get it safe to start which is good but not as good in my opinion. When you install a in-line coolant heater a REALLY GREAT THING HAPPENS!!!!! which is through convection, the warm coolant begins to circulate the whole system! Leave your heater position on and that means you'll also heat the heater core and it will do a pretty darn good job of defrosting your windshield and heating the whole block quite nicely! I often jumped into a vehicle with at least warm (not hot) air instantly and a windshield that had a small defrosted section already, in two minutes of idling, I could drive it! With the block that warm, the oil is also reasonably warm and safe to run without having to run low winter rate oils and such, much easier on your engine AND TRANSMISSION! Please note, if you put your car in Neutral rather than park, and set the E-brake, your transmission will get things moving and be in better shape in a few min rather than if it was left in park where nothing its spinning or circulating inside, in most transmissions anyway. Folks from AK practice this kind of thing in extremes and it does help.
-I would strongly suggest you put your block heater on a wall timer, set it 2hrs before you get into your vehicle, 1500watts running 24/7 WILL crank your electric bill up needlessly and I find after logging the data that 2 hrs is generally the happy medium between getting close to max temp and not wasting $ on power on an aluminum block, a iron block like my Cummings 6.7 takes 3 hrs to heat reasonably.
-Batteries CCA numbers really matter in a cold climate where in warm places, they simply don't. So you may want to upsize your battery if you're finding it's struggling to start, a battery warmer is your other option and they work quite well.
-You may experience flat spotting on tires in extreme cold, there's not a whole lot to be done with or at least, I didn't find a good solution as I left when I was very young. They'll round up in a few minutes of slower driving. Do not run studs in the summer!!!!! Cops will hear it and WILL ticket you with a fat fine. I suggest you own a set of summer wheels and tires and winter wheels and tires, anything but doing that is simply throwing money away as they both do poorly and wear poorly Fairbank extreme climates.
-Oil choice, have two setups, a winter blend and a summer blend. In winter, you won't ALWAYS start on a heater being plugged in so you'll need to run a oil with a W rating such as 10w-40. You honestly would be smart to run a 0w-30 for winter in this vehicle as your vehicle will likely struggle to ever maintain fully temp and it certainly will have to start in VERY cold conditions often. DO CONSIDER blocking off some of your radiator, I can't tell you how much, I don't know this vehicle well enough to say so but experiment, a piece of cardboard will work for a start just fine. Block off what is needed to get up to operating temps and pay attention to remove it as summer approaches, overheating this engine is the kiss of death, so better to be a little cold than too hot. IN SUMMER, I'd run a 10w-40 and call it good, this will provide flexibility for your 99 degree summer days.
-Do not let your engine idle for long periods of time in the cold, it doesn't do good to sit and idle for a half hour running cold, studies have shown this just increases wear as not enough throttle is inputted to actually warm the engine, instead use your heater that I linked or similar. Kat's is a good product. Do drive a little easy and don't put the motor under heavy load until it's a bit more warmed up, the transmission too.
-Gear oil in diffs if you wanted to get crazy could be changed too for winter vs summer, you could step down to thinner oil during winter if you wished but you'd need to change back when extreme cold temps cleared. I wouldn't go through this hassle but..... some do.
Some of that should be helpful. I suggest you learn to rock your vehicle into foward/reverse to free yourself when stuck in snow, you'll need to know how, that's for sure and it works damn well. Best of luck bud! AK is an experience you'll love and hate but it'll be a part of your life you'll think about forever.
-Greg
-That said. I would install a kat's heater which is very easy to install and works better than a block heater for most purposes. -You might want more than the 850w version I showed in the link, a 1500w version might be better suited if you wish to enjoy a defrosted window when you get in the car and instant heat.
-Block heaters don't do a good job of heating the coolant system which is really want you'll want, instead they just maintain the oil temp and get it safe to start which is good but not as good in my opinion. When you install a in-line coolant heater a REALLY GREAT THING HAPPENS!!!!! which is through convection, the warm coolant begins to circulate the whole system! Leave your heater position on and that means you'll also heat the heater core and it will do a pretty darn good job of defrosting your windshield and heating the whole block quite nicely! I often jumped into a vehicle with at least warm (not hot) air instantly and a windshield that had a small defrosted section already, in two minutes of idling, I could drive it! With the block that warm, the oil is also reasonably warm and safe to run without having to run low winter rate oils and such, much easier on your engine AND TRANSMISSION! Please note, if you put your car in Neutral rather than park, and set the E-brake, your transmission will get things moving and be in better shape in a few min rather than if it was left in park where nothing its spinning or circulating inside, in most transmissions anyway. Folks from AK practice this kind of thing in extremes and it does help.
-I would strongly suggest you put your block heater on a wall timer, set it 2hrs before you get into your vehicle, 1500watts running 24/7 WILL crank your electric bill up needlessly and I find after logging the data that 2 hrs is generally the happy medium between getting close to max temp and not wasting $ on power on an aluminum block, a iron block like my Cummings 6.7 takes 3 hrs to heat reasonably.
-Batteries CCA numbers really matter in a cold climate where in warm places, they simply don't. So you may want to upsize your battery if you're finding it's struggling to start, a battery warmer is your other option and they work quite well.
-You may experience flat spotting on tires in extreme cold, there's not a whole lot to be done with or at least, I didn't find a good solution as I left when I was very young. They'll round up in a few minutes of slower driving. Do not run studs in the summer!!!!! Cops will hear it and WILL ticket you with a fat fine. I suggest you own a set of summer wheels and tires and winter wheels and tires, anything but doing that is simply throwing money away as they both do poorly and wear poorly Fairbank extreme climates.
-Oil choice, have two setups, a winter blend and a summer blend. In winter, you won't ALWAYS start on a heater being plugged in so you'll need to run a oil with a W rating such as 10w-40. You honestly would be smart to run a 0w-30 for winter in this vehicle as your vehicle will likely struggle to ever maintain fully temp and it certainly will have to start in VERY cold conditions often. DO CONSIDER blocking off some of your radiator, I can't tell you how much, I don't know this vehicle well enough to say so but experiment, a piece of cardboard will work for a start just fine. Block off what is needed to get up to operating temps and pay attention to remove it as summer approaches, overheating this engine is the kiss of death, so better to be a little cold than too hot. IN SUMMER, I'd run a 10w-40 and call it good, this will provide flexibility for your 99 degree summer days.
-Do not let your engine idle for long periods of time in the cold, it doesn't do good to sit and idle for a half hour running cold, studies have shown this just increases wear as not enough throttle is inputted to actually warm the engine, instead use your heater that I linked or similar. Kat's is a good product. Do drive a little easy and don't put the motor under heavy load until it's a bit more warmed up, the transmission too.
-Gear oil in diffs if you wanted to get crazy could be changed too for winter vs summer, you could step down to thinner oil during winter if you wished but you'd need to change back when extreme cold temps cleared. I wouldn't go through this hassle but..... some do.
Some of that should be helpful. I suggest you learn to rock your vehicle into foward/reverse to free yourself when stuck in snow, you'll need to know how, that's for sure and it works damn well. Best of luck bud! AK is an experience you'll love and hate but it'll be a part of your life you'll think about forever.
-Greg
The following 2 users liked this post by 05TurboS2K:
Banzai Jimmy (11-22-2019),
Richard Gallant (10-29-2019)